He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

Te Kaio is an ancient site of significance that is now part of the contemporary vision of the Papatipu Rūnanga to restore mahinga kai traditions to the landscape and people. As with the mātaitai reserve located on Te Roto o Wairewa (Section 6.10), the Te Kaio Mātaitai is intended to protect customary interests in fisheries in anticipation of an improvement in fisheries stocks (see Map 21 for the location of the Mātaitai). The impact of commercial fishing in this area is evidenced by depleted fish stocks and the damage to valuable kaimoana beds as a result of bottom trawling. The intention of the mātaitai is that, without commercial fishing, stocks in both the lake and the ocean will recover. Mātaitai are about kaitiakitanga. They give Ngāi Tahu the ability to form bylaws that control what is taken from the sea. For the Papatipu Rūnanga that established the Te Kaio Mātaitai, it is important that the mātaitai is managed through bylaws that focus on sustainability as opposed to legal takes of particular species, and that management and the development of bylaws occur in consultation with the community. The Te Kaio Mātaitai ties the concept of Ki Uta Ki Tai and mahinga kai directly to Te Putahi farm (Issue PT3), reinforcing the cultural footprint of Ngāi Tahu and signaling the willingness of Papatipu Rūnanga to ‘manage their own patch’.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

Te Putahi is a farm owned by Wairewa Rūnanga. The farm runs from Te Kaio south to Makara (Magnet Bay), and overlooks Kaitōrete Spit, Mata Hāpuku and the Te Kaio mātaitai reserve (see Map 21).

Te Putahi farm comprises 449 hectares with diverse micro-climates and has not used any synthetic fertilisers or pesticides for over 20 years. It is the first farm to be accredited under the Ngāi Tahu mahinga kai system and it is currently in the process of converting to organic production methods. The farm is part of the contemporary vision of the Papatipu Rūnanga to restore mahinga kai traditions to the landscape and people. Over time Te Putahi will become an integral part of the Wairewa Mahinga Kai Cultural Park, supplying organic beef, lamb and vegetables.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

The protection of waterways is a significant issue in the southern bays catchments. Surface water is the primary source of water for domestic and stock purposes. Land use activities such as pastoral farming and forestry can have effects on riparian areas and water quality if not managed appropriately. Streams flow from hill to sea within a relatively short and steep catchment, and therefore the effects of land use on waterways will also be seen in coastal water quality and mahinga kai.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

The southern bays coastal landscape is of particular significance to Ngāi Tahu given the long and continued association with the coastal environment (see Issue PT1). For this reason, a cultural landscape approach is required to identify and protect Ngāi Tahu values and interests from the adverse effects of coastal land development. A cultural landscape approach shifts the focus from sites of significance to the larger landscapes that they occur in.

Many of the southern bays are remote and have little development intrusion. More accessible bays may have potential for certain coastal land development activities. For Ngāi Tahu, any coastal land development must be sustainable and appropriate; fitting into the landscape rather than working against it, and enhancing existing values rather than degrading them.

Given the high degree of natural character and richness of cultural landscape values in the southern bays, the RMA 1991 clearly provides protection for the coastal environment and the relationship of Ngāi Tahu to it as a matter of national importance.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

Tāngata whenua are concerned with the effects of forestry on water resources and the landscape in the southern bays catchments, and see the need to control the establishment of new commercial plantations. One example is the nature and extent of vegetation that is cleared to establish forestry plantations. Large areas of kānuka and mānuka may be cleared to make way for forestry (see Issue PT7), and this is contrary to tāngata whenua efforts to restore these and other native species on the landscape. Forestry is a common land use activity in catchments such as Peraki Bay.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

The hills and valleys of Te Pātaka o Rakaihāutū have a long history of vegetation clearance. The once forested landscape is now dominated by pastoral farming. While there are significant efforts to protect and restore indigenous biodiversity, maintaining the land for pasture means that vegetation clearance still occurs. Vegetation clearance occurs by mechanical clearing, spraying and burning.

One of the most significant concerns for tāngata whenua is that the clearing of ‘scrub’ for pasture often includes indigenous species such as kānuka, mānuka and pātōtara (mingimingi). Kānuka (Kunzia ericoides) and mānuka kahikāto (Leptospermum scoparium) and pātōtara (Leucopogon fraseri) are taonga species under the NTCSA 1998 (Schedule 97). It is even more concerning when vegetation is cleared in gullies and along waterway margins. Clearance of vegetation can result in small fragments of native bush; and this can have important implications for the regeneration of podocarps in the takiwā.

The southern bays are steep catchments and therefore vegetation clearance must be managed to avoid loss of slope stability, and the erosion and sedimentation of waterways. Vegetation clearance also needs to be considered alongside the significant restoration efforts occurring on Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

Maintaining and enhancing indigenous biodiversity within the southern bays is an important kaupapa for the kaitiaki Rūnanga, as healthy biodiversity ensures the ongoing availability of mahinga kai, both food and cultural materials such as pīngao. Restoration from a tāngata whenua perspective is not about locking places away; there is a clear intent with restoration activities to enable cultural and customary use.

Restoration of degraded environments is a priority, particularly in areas such as Te Kaio Bay, where an important pīngao remnant exists.

He Kupu Whakamāhukihuki / Explanation

The coastal waters from Te Mata Hāpuku to the point between Te Kaio and Te Oka bays are recognised as the Te Kaio Mātaitai Reserve as per the Customary Fishing Regulations 1999. The mātaitai recognises the importance of these coastal waters as traditional fishing grounds for Ngāi Tahu.

Mātaitai do not preclude marine farming, and the Papatipu Rūnanga is considering options for marine farming in the Te Kaio Mātaitai once the fisheries protected by the reserve have recovered. Sustainable aquaculture has the potential for significant contributions to cultural, social, and economic and cultural well being of iwi and hapū.